1:48 Hands - gestures

Hands in gestures, 1:48 scale

The set from Firma49 offers replacement hands in gesturing positions for figures in 1:48 scale. These are parts meant for the alteration of already finished figures, not a scene in their own right.

The gesture makes the scene

The observer reads a figure first by its overall stance and immediately after that by its hands. A gesture that points somewhere or opens out into space turns an ordinary standing figure into part of the action: into somebody who is explaining, calling out or handing an object over. Production figures, by contrast, most often have their hands along the body or closed around a weapon, which narrows the possibilities of storytelling sharply. By changing the hands, the same figure can be used in several different compositions without another set having to be bought.

How to fit the hands

Cut the wrist off square and level the surface out with a file, so that the palm does not sit crooked. For strength, a short pin of thin wire glued into both the sleeve and the hand proves itself. Fill the gap with putty while it is soft and refine the transition to the sleeve so that the cloth appears to carry on. Paint comes in turn only once the shape has been unified, because the difference between skin and sleeve is then far easier to check. The set will also serve for figures you finished long ago and want to give a new expression.

For which builds

• for figure conversions in the aircraft scale
• for scenes in which the figures are communicating with each other
• to bring a repeatedly used figure mold to life
• for modelers with experience in altering figures